GAMEDAY: Game 25 - Belleville (12-13-2) at Lehigh Valley (14-8-2) 7:15 p.m. ET
ALLENTOWN, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (14-8-2) finish up a four-game homestand Friday night against the Belleville Senators (12-13-2) at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Goaltender Alex Lyon was called up to Philadelphia, and subsequently the Phantoms added goalie Branden Komm from Reading.
Up front, the injuries are starting to pile up - particularly down the middle. Cole Bardreau is the latest victim to the injured list, missing Friday's game. He joins German Rubtsov (out for season), Mikhail Vorobyev (undisclosed) and David Kase (injured and suspended). Kase will serve the first of his two-game suspension Friday.
With the team short at the forward position, Alex Krushelnyski and Michael Huntebrinker were added from ECHL Reading. Krushelnyski returns after a brief stint with the Phantoms while the team was on their road trip through Canada two weeks ago. Huntebrinker has impressed at the ECHL level, getting his first glimpse of the AHL with Lehigh Valley tonight in the midst of his second year of pro hockey.
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Connor Bunnaman - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Taylor Leier - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Carsen Twarynski - Radel Fazleev - Tyrell Goulbourne Alex Krushelnyski - Michael Huntebrinker - Colin McDonald
T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Philip Samuelsson - Phil Myers Zach Palmquist - Reece Willcox
Scratches: James de Haas (healthy), Cole Bardreau (injured), Mikhail Vorobyev (injured), German Rubtsov (injured - out for season) and David Kase (injured/suspended)
GAME STORY
FIRST PERIOD
There wasn't much flow to the opening half of the first period Friday night in Allentown. Sloppy play from both teams saw them trading power plays. After each team failed to convert on their first attempt, Lehigh Valley made quick work of its second power play opportunity to take a 1-0 lead.
T.J. Brennan got the puck to the right-wing circle for Greg Carey, whose initial shot was stopped by Senators goalie Filip Gustavsson. Fortunately for Carey and Lehigh Valley, the puck came right back to the Phantoms' forward and he snapped the rebound in past Gustavsson for his team-leading 13th goal of the season.
The power play chances continued to be traded back and forth to close out the first frame, with Lehigh Valley ending the period on the PK. Carter Hart only faced six shots in the opening frame, but he came up big on a net-front tip in the final seconds of the period to get his team to the dressing room up 1-0 heading into the middle frame.
SECOND PERIOD
Lehigh Valley killed off the carry over penalty time to begin the middle frame, and it wasn't long after that the Senators went back into penalty trouble.
Carter Hart came up big on a glove save on Aaron Luchuk, and then Taylor Leier drew consecutive minor penalties on Chris Carlisle and Patrick Sieloff in a span of 37 seconds, giving the Phantoms an advantageous 83 seconds of five-on-three power play time. Similar to their first power play tally, they didn't need much time - just 16 seconds - to convert and extend their lead to 2-0.
Chris Conner was in his office - a la below the red line in the offensive zone - and fed a pass to Connor Bunnaman at the bottom of the left-wing circle. Bunnaman elected for a quick shot, and it rose above and beat Gustavsson - giving Bunnaman his third goal in as many games since being moved to the Phantoms' top line center position. Brennan added a secondary assist on the play for another multi-point performance for the veteran offensive blueliner.
Belleville responded moments later, making it a one-goal game when Chase Balisy converted on a one-touch shot atop Hart's crease on a 3-on-2 rush and subsequent feed from Adam Tambellini.
It was back to the power play for Lehigh Valley shortly after Balisy's goal, as Balisy himself was whistled for tripping at the 13:52 mark. The Phantoms didn't convert on the power play, but Carsen Twarnyski extended the Phantoms' lead to 3-1 about a minute after the power play had expired - slipping in behind the defense in the neutral zone, getting a pass from Reece Willcox and finishing the breakaway with his second tally of the season with 3:08 left before the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
Hart was tasked with holding his team's two-goal lead in the third period, and the Senators were certainly buzzing in the opening half of the period - firing eight shots on net including several off of Phantoms' defensive zone turnovers and extended shifts of pressure.
The Phantoms' goalie made all the necessary stops to the midway mark of the third, and got some more run support from Twarynski on his second tally of the evening with 9:37 left in regulation to break open the game to a 4-1 Phantoms' lead.
Lehigh Valley closed out the win, but not before things got hairy in the final seconds. After the final horn sounded, players from both teams engaged in a big scrum in the neutral zone after Joseph LaBate cross-checked Twarynski up high.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
4:04: BEL - (PP) Carey, minor (slashing) 7:06: LV - (PP) McDonald, minor (slashing) 11:23: BEL - (PP) Carey, minor (hooking) 11:36: LV - PPG Carey (13) - Brennan, Conner 14:50: BEL - (PP) Beauchemin, minor (hooking) 18:37: LV - (PP) Palmquist, minor (tripping)
2nd Period
6:29: BEL - (PP) Carlisle, minor (tripping) 7:06: BEL - (PP) Sieloff, minor (hooking) 7:22: LV - PPG Bunnaman (5) - Conner, Brennan 11:31: BEL - Balisy (5) - Tambellini, Percy 13:52: BEL - (PP) Balisy, minor (tripping) 16:52: LV - Twarynski (2) - Willcox, Goulbourne
3rd Period
10:23: LV - Twarynski (3) - Fazleev, Myers 11:10: LV - (PP) Willcox, minor (slashing) 20:00: BEL - (PP) LaBate, minor (cross-checking)
BOXSCORE
Belleville 0 - 1 - 0 = 1 Lehigh Valley 1 - 2 - 1 = 4
Shots
Belleville 6 - 9 - 11 = 26 Lehigh Valley 9 - 8 - 9 = 26
Goalies
BEL: Filip Gustavsson (22 saves - 26 shots) LV: Carter Hart (25 saves - 26 shots)
Power Play
BEL: 0-for-3 LV: 2-for-6
Penalty Kill
BEL: 4-for-6 LV: 3-for-3
Attendance: 6,397
